Tom and Mike were home for a few days at Christmas, and then I was able to go out and visit for a bit in January. It was great to see in person Tom's progress, and how his hard work is paying off!
Tom had a checkup in January, and all is well on the cancer front - Tom remains in remission! Thank God. Thank God.
Tom was staying at the Hillcrest location of Toronto Rehab, but just last week they moved the musculoskeletal program to their downtown location on University Avenue. We knew this move was in the works for months, and the apartment we sublet is only a few blocks away.
The great thing about the new facility -- in addition to being so close to the apartment - is that it is newly renovated. The rooms are bigger and more spacious, and Tom has a bathroom and shower that are accessible for him and the wheelchair. Another great thing is that he starts pool therapy next week! The pool had broken down at the other facility, and because it was being closed, it was not repaired. The new facility has a pool, and Tom loves swimming, it's something he has missed a lot. But Tom won't just be swimming for leisure: he will be working in the pool as part of his recovery. Actually - pool therapy has already played a large role in his recovery. If it hadn't been for Lori, the occupational therapist working with Tom back when he was in Palliative, I don't know if he would be where he is today. It was getting back in the pool last January that showed him that by his own hard work he could influence his situation, and it was affirmation for both him and us of how much better and stronger he was getting. This gave us the energy we needed to find our way through the system and keep on pushing until we could get him seen by experts in the field. And it all began in the pool.
He is still very busy with therapy, about 5 hours of work every day - it is physically very demanding. Things have now progressed to the point where he doesn't have pain when the therapists work on his legs and feet. In the earlier stages, because his feet had become so desensitized and 'numb', the massage the therapists did to help release the contractures was actually incredibly painful. Gradually, as his nerve endings have woken back up and reconnected his lower body to his upper body, it has become less painful, and he no longer needs additional pain meds to get through the day.
He uses a tall walker and can stand for a few minutes every day - with help - great progess!
The surgery is scheduled for March 7, but he is on a cancellation list - it may occur sooner. I hope to be able to go back out, whenever the surgery ends up happening.
It feels like it's been a record winter here in Regina, with a ridiculous amount of snow. In the last half of January we also experienced record cold - and the only good thing I can say about that is that it tends not to snow when it's that cold! At first, I was determined to shovel the snow by hand, because I was rather nervous of the snowblower. I became quickly convinced I had to overcome the fear when we got hit with blizzard after blizzard, starting in November. The snow on our front lawn is now piled well over 5 feet high - without the snowblower, I'd be hooped, because I can't really throw the snow by hand over that height!
Thank God for neighbours, and friends, and unknown Good Samaritans - we have had extra help from time to time, and between that and the efforts of Laura and I, we are managing to keep up.
I'll be honest, it has been hard having to be here while Mike and Tom are so far away. And it's not just because of the snow and cold. I miss my boys.
I try to keep my eye on the prize, and know that every day, with God's help, the little things we do are going to help rebuild and reclaim the lives that cancer tried to steal from Tom and from our family. But there are days that it is so hard to stay positive.
If you are reading this, then I ask you to pray for Tom's healing and recovery, and for us to remain strong.
May God bless you and keep you in His care.
Tom's Mom
